Dale Sveum has hired Chris Bosio as the Cubs new pitching coach. Slowly but surely Sveum is filling his coaching staff with experienced former players and current coaches. Bosio and Sveum were teammates on the Milwaukee Brewers in the late 1980’s. They also were coaches on the same Brewers staff during the 2009 MLB season. Bosio has served as a coach and scout in the Brewers, Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays baseball organizations. Most recently, Bosio served as Milwaukee’s Triple-A pitching coach with the Nashville Sounds. During his big league career, Bosio pitched for the Brewers and Mariners – he retired in 1996 with a career 94-93 record with a nifty 3.63 ERA.

Bosio is thrilled to join his friend Sveum with the Cubs in Chicago: “I just can’t tell you how excited I am, number one, to be working with Dale. When he offered me the job as pitching coach of the Chicago Cubs, to hear him say that, knowing the confidence he has in me, that’s a great feeling. We’re going to be prepared, are going to have intensity and a lot of enthusiasm… It’s going to be agonizing at time, and rewarding as well. That’s the rigors of the season. But we’re going to try and create some magic at Wrigley.”

These guys are no-nonsense guys as far as I can tell. Having been players, that helps a ton too. They can relate to the rigors of a long MLB season, but they can also command respect and demand accountability. They have a lot of energy and are out to prove that they can build something that will last a long time on the north side.